Friday, October 24, 2014

E-Blast 10-24-14

For Starters…
Hello everyone!! The creativity around this building is phenomenal!! I love to walk around school and see kids creating.  The importance of being content creators continues to grow. This quote from
National Teacher of the Year Jeff Charnonneau exemplifies what we do in this building...and it is truly appreciated.  Kids are more likely to learn if they know there is someone at school who cares about them as a person.  Thank you for being that person to so many students.




What's Hoppening?
  • You may have heard people in other districts discussing getting their goals into Teachscape or another state model.  The DPI set out guidelines to get goals into the system, and many are taking that as a drop dead date.  We are not doing that...I talked to the DPI last week and they were completely fine with our process and getting everyone into Teachscape as the year progresses, and on our timeline.  Those on Rotation 1 are already in...we will work with everyone else throughout the year on a different timeline.
  • Thanks to all who participated in the insurance survey.  We will use that data to drive the discussion at the committee level. We have 5 staff members who have volunteered to serve on the committee. Meeting dates will be set up soon.
  • Going to keep this in for awhile...If you did not receive an invite to the Google+ page from let shoot me an email.  I tried to get as many people as possible while I was at Google Tech Academy last week. The Google+ community is open only to our staff...I am hoping it turns into a place where we can share articles, great ideas, and/or things going on in your classroom. Here is the link... https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/106247918310540095234.  If you can not get in let me know...it means you will need a Google+ page or an invite.  Either way it is a quick fix.
  • Thank you to the support staff groups who attended our merit pay discussion on October 15.  Your feedback was very valuable...we are trying to find a process that works for everyone and that has been difficult, but I appreciate your willingness to have the conversation and hope we can come up with a plan that meets your need.
  • Thanks to those who have provided feedback on the insurance survey.  That data will drive discussions for the group moving forward.  Much appreciated.
  • Board room use...we really want to encourage people to utilize the board room.  We updated the technology so it was a more usable space and would love to have more people in that room throughout the year.  Feel free to schedule it for team meetings, department meetings, classes, etc...
  • Repeat--October is connected educator month.  Here is a link to a list of activities happening (some physical, but most virtual) if you are interested.  http://connectededucatormonth2014.sched.org/
  • Cricket Chirp articles are due today! Send to editor@fallcreek.k12.wi.us 
  • The FCPD was awarded a grant to put crisis kits in every classroom.  When the kits are assembled we will all get together to go over the contents.  The kits are smaller than a shoe box and we will have a designated area in each room for consistency.  More to come when we hear from the FCPD.
  • Best of luck to our CC team at Sectionals tomorrow and our Volleyball team in the Regional Final tomorrow night!

This week in Tweets...
This is the cover of next week's Time Magazine.  I know I get on my soap box a lot about telling the story of our school...but this is why.  When we allow others to tell the stories of what schools are, or were, we are faced with trying to justify what happens as opposed to
celebrating kids and the amazing work you all do every single day.  Our social media feed continues to grow and people are taking notice.  I love the story of Fall Creek...the amount of pride here is astounding...including the community in that journey can really help and dispel the outside views of what education is today.  Continue to do unbelievable things...if you post or tweet them out I will make sure they get to a larger audience.  If you want to add anything to our pages, just let me or Teresa know and we'll get it out to the public.  Be proud of what you do, folks...large numbers of kids, all with different needs and desires, learn because you make a connection with them.  That is what we do...and it is amazing.  So...add @fccrickets in the tweet and use the #gocrickets hashtag after a tweet to add to the wonderful story of the Crickets...or let us know how we can help get your story to the world. Stepping off soap box...Go Crickets.

Articles Worth Reading
Just resources...no need to feel required to read...just click if it strikes your interest.

Videos Worth Watching:
Not always endorsements of the perspective...but all to make you think...

I will add videos to the Google+ page for those interested.  Can be accessed here... https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/106247918310540095234

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